Sand and Forest
by Koinu-sama
Summary: A middle-eastern demoness is sent to Japan by her father. OC/? I haven't decided on the pairing yet. Rated T for now.


Her eyes closed in bliss as she breathed deeply, the scent of the sea permeating her senses as the wind caught her long ivory-hued hair. Her bare feet were planted firmly on the wooden deck of the boat, all but oblivious to the human crew, who cast her an occasional curious glance.

_Knowledge of her family was wide-spread among merchants, her father specifically, who was known to the humans as the Desert King. He maintained a beautiful strip of oases, which was a welcome sight to travelers who would otherwise have to trek around the desert for miles. Her father was a curious sort, having always been fascinated with humans and their goings about, some would even say he was fond of them. He looked after them like a shepherd would his sheep, giving them a place to eat and rest in the shade of the trees, their animals seen to by her father's servants. Those who grew enamored of her father's oases, were welcome to stay as servants...and many a mortal spent their brief lives happily in her father's service._

_It was not ten years after she became an adult that her father came to her, his dark copper eyes warm, yet sad. As the youngest of eight and the only daughter, she held a special place in her father's heart. He had told her of her seven older brothers, and how they had left their father's house to build their own, and how they had all in turn explored the world until they found their place in it. Three of her brothers had returned to the desert and each maintained their own oases respectively. The most romantic of her brothers had encountered a dragon princess in the North-East, and had opted to remain at her side, as he had been doing for the past two hundred years along with their two children. Another of her brothers had taken up the staff of the nomad and wandered all corners of the earth, though it had been nearly fifty years since she had heard from him, he had promised her that he would take her with him when she was old enough. Her two youngest brothers, twins, had retired to the mountains in the south, carving out quiet lives for themselves, having both mated six summers ago to tiger sisters._

_She had not wanted to leave the paradise that was her childhood home, but her father, who had seen thousands of summers come and go, merely smiled at her in that wise, knowing way he often did. "Hala, you carry the moonlight in your hair, and the starlight in your eyes...just like your mother did." His dark eyes still sparkled with love for his mate, even though nearly half a millennium has passed since her death. "I met her during my travels across the sea, and I loved her the moment I saw her." he had cupped her cheek in the tender way only a father could. "I only wish for you to find such happiness, and though I love you with all my heart, such happiness cannot be found here."_

_Her heart had dropped low in chest. "But father I-"_

_"I know you have developed feelings for one of the mortal boys, and I know he thinks of you as no less than a goddess. I see the way you two slip away on when you think no one is watching." The desert king sighed, his smile becoming bittersweet. "Only heartache lies at the end of that road...and it is for that very reason that I am sending you away."_

Hala's eyes opened, the waves of the ocean reminding her vaguely of sand dunes. Her father had decided to send her to the place where he had met her mother. She smiled wistfully at her father's antics, her eyes bright with emotion. A part of her did not want to leave...but she was not so impertinent as to question his wisdom. He had not lived so long by being foolish.

He had sent her with a merchant caravan that was passing through, despite the fact that she was perfectly capable of flying. He always insisted that traveling on foot was the best way, and that you missed so much while in the air. It had taken two months to reach the ocean, and in that time she had made fast friends with her companions. Even though she was older than them by centuries, she had listened to their stories with all the fascination of a child. Her brothers were not cruel towards humans so much as indifferent, a fondness of humans was not a trait they shared. They always said that humans made very poor pets and that they died far too fast.

She had often played with the servant's children when she was young, and they grew up and died in a span of time that she sparsely aged. Her brothers thought it depressing, but Hala was taught time and time again, that life was fragile, and precious.

After six days at sea, a strip of land finally split the sky from the water, and she could not wait to explore this vast island. She leaned far over the rail in her eagerness to get to shore, when one of the younger, braver crewmen approached her.

His brown eyes glittered as he glanced about, clearly nervous. "My Lady, it was an honor to travel with you, but we must request that we part ways now."

Hala watched the boy swallow thickly, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why? I will be of no more trouble once we make port."

The boy's eyes flashed up, his face distorting into horror. "Oh no milady! You were of no trouble to us at all! It is just that the demons that are native here are not so benevolent as your honorable family. It is not uncommon for demons to eat humans, and they are wary of strangers. Please, we are sorry but we have shipped our cargo such a long way..."

Hala frowned, she had heard her brothers speak of demons who did such things, but she had always thought they were a minority. Aside from her family, she had not met many other demons, and they had always been civil. "Very well." she stated, turning to go before one of the men stopped her for a second time.

This man was older than the boy by two decades or so, if her estimates on human aging were correct. He held a trinket in his hands, and Hala's eyes were immediately drawn to it.

It was a head-piece, made of silver and gems she recognized as star-stones. Her eyes widened, such stones were very rare...forged by the great beasts of old, her father had always said that he liked them best because they reminded him of mother's eyes.

The human looked anxious, staring down at his work-worn hands as if they would sully it. "Your father entrusted this to me before we departed...and said that I should give it to you before we parted ways. He said you would understand its meaning."

She took the piece from him with delicate fingers, staring at it with wide eyes. Her brothers and father wore similar head-pieces, it was a symbol of adult-hood and power. It was a large tilted blue crescent, the center inlaid with enchanted silver and a star-stone, three smaller stones dangled from the cresent, the head piece wrapping around in exquisitely carved patterns. She recognized it immediately, for it had belonged to her mother. She would never forget the night that her mother had allowed her to wear it. Hala's heart warmed as she placed it on her head, adjusting her bangs and high ponytail until it settled nicely, a perfect fit. She smiled one final time at the crew before turning and jumping over the railing, diving deep below the water's surface. Her body elongated as she transformed, and she emerged from the water, leaving awe-struck men in her wake.

Her head was that of a fox, bearing the facial markings of her paternal side, her large feathery ears tipped in deep hues of red. Her slender body was covered in translucent white scales that shimmered in the sunlight like diamonds, a tribute to her father's dragon heritage. The scales covered her legs, save for the long silky tufts of fur that were her paws, traveling up the back of her front legs to her elbows, and up the front of her back legs to her knees. The downy soft fur that made up the mane that covered her chest and followed the curve of her spine and fed into the great expanse that was her tail, nearly two and a half lengths of her body, scaled until the final third, which was covered in spiraling tendrils of ivory fur.

Her brothers were far more colorful than her, their scales in all shades of reds, oranges, blues, and greens with beautiful flowing black fur that was run through with streaks of gold, and they too possessed their father's coppery orange eyes and grand spiraling horns. She would never forget when she had once gone crying to her father when one of her brothers had called her plain, and with eyes twinkling with amusement, he had said such is the nature of the garish peacock to mock the simple loveliness of the dove.

Hala bounded through the air, relishing the wind as it whirled past her body like silk...to a creature who had spent her life in the heat of the desert, the chill in the air was sweet relief to her naturally hot skin. Her transformation was seamless as she transitioned back to her human-esque self, the billowing white fabric of her bedlah skirts kissing the water as the waves caressed the sandy beach.

She paused, staring at the mass of land that expanded before her, feeling at a loss for the first time since the beginning of her journey. The intricate coin belt that hung low on her hips jingled as she moved further inland, she had never wandered so far from the halls of her father.

...

The ocean had fallen far behind her by the third day of her journey, and she had been enjoying the simple peace of her surroundings when the pungent scent of blood reached her senses. _Human blood. _Her heart lurched as she followed the scent, her feet ghosting over the earth in her haste.

The village that she found had been laid to waste, carcasses littered about the earth, their expressions twisted into terror, even as they lay in death. Men, women, children.

**"You smell goooood."**

Hala had been so lost in her horror that she had not sensed the lizard demon approach, she turned slowly, her gaze riveting to the child in his gargantuan clawed hand. Her black eyes were glazed over as her body went into shock, her legs and right arm bloodied stumps, the demon sinking his teeth into her middle and disemboweling her like a savage, the blood dripping down from his maw as he ate. He eyed her lecherously, and Hala knew true hatred. Her hands clenched, her fists crackling to life with deadly blue fire, and she lunged for him, and her claws sliced through the tough flesh of his chest like a blade, seizing his heart in her hand.

She watched with hard eyes as the monstrosity screeched in agony, helpless as he was burned alive from the inside out. She left him writhing and screaming as he was reduced to cinders.

Her heart was heavy as she set the village ablaze, the spirits of the dead rising with the smoke. It felt wrong to leave the dead in such a devastated state. She walked aimlessly through the ruins as they burned, hoping against hope that perhaps there was a survivor somewhere among the carnage. A child trembling in the shadows, a babe stowed away in a basket.

Her senses strained for any sign of life...but they were met with nothing. Her lip trembled as her eyes filled with crystalline tears, and she sank to her knees and wept for those she had been too late to save. And that's when she heard it, a loud, keening wail.

The world went silent save for that single sound, shooting to her feet as she sought it out. She found herself looking into a well, and she saw a young girl, up to her shoulders in water as she clung to the wall of the well, desperately trying to soothe the small child within her grasp. Her earthy brown eyes were bright with fear as she noticed the shadow that had fallen over them.

Hala could have cried for joy. She jumped into the well, landing with a loud splash, though it was significantly deeper than she had expected. She surfaced with a loud gasp, her legs kicking strongly beneath her. She would be forever grateful to her father for insisting she learn to swim.

She barely noticed the temperature of the water at first, but she quickly noticed the puffs of mist that left her mouth as she breathed, and that the skin of the humans was blue with cold. Though demons did not threaten their lives now, they were far from being out of harm's way. She swam over to them, gathered them into her arms and vaulted them out of the water, vaulting off of the walls with demonic strength until she reached the top.

She was careful not to let them see the massacred village, sprinting deep into the forest. She knew the screams of the villagers would haunt their dreams soon enough, but she could spare them the visuals.

She set them down once she felt they were safe and took in their haggard appearance. Their lips were blue, hypothermia was setting in, their bodies shivering violently beneath their soaked clothes. The girl looked at her with wide frightened eyes. The child was very young, but he understood fear as he clung to the girl, not making a sound.

She had to get them warm, or they would freeze to death. She considered a fire briefly, but there was one method that would work far better. "I am not going to harm you," she said slowly, fully aware of her thick accent, "But I need you to take off those clothes."

She watched as the girl stiffened.

"Please, the cold will kill you if you do not listen." She pleaded, and it was enough to get the girl to strip off her simple yukata. She seemed to understand that if she did not obey, she would be stripped anyway. She removed the child's clothing with trembling hands.

Satisfied with their obedience, Hala transformed and curled around the pair, encompassing them in her body heat. They seemed awed for a moment.

Hala closed her eyes, as to give the humans a little comfort, though it wasn't much. Some humans found the gaze of a demon unnerving. She felt nothing for a moment, then the humans moved onto the silky tendrils of her mane that splayed out on the ground, and weariness took them. Hala let them sleep, content to keep watch as night descended.

When they were fully recovered and dressed in there now-dried clothes, the demoness did not fail to notice that they were still wary of her. It saddened her a great deal, but she understood...she had seen the cruel ferocity of the demon that had attacked the village with her own eyes. Though the notion repulsed her, in their minds, she was just as likely to eat them as that lizard filth. Her brother had once told her a story of a demon who enjoyed luring humans into a false sense of security, only to slowly torture them to death. The next week passed slowly, her mind concerned only with finding a suitable human village. She ensured the humans were fed and rested, but she did not speak to them accept for when absolutely necessary.

Eventually, she found a village that seemed to be doing well for itself, with people milling about in the daylight. She stopped at the edge of the forest, fixing her charges with her cerulean gaze. They seemed to understand her meaning, and headed towards the village, not once looking back.

She had been about to head on her way, when she heard someone shout obnoxiously loud. "WIND SCAR!"

Hala did not have time to dodge the attack, her fire instinctively flaring to life, crackling along the seams of the energy strike until it burst and disintegrated. Using the element of surprise, she descended upon her adversary with deadly speed, catching his face in her palm, wrenching his sword from his grip. She struck him down, the impact with the ground causing him to cough harshly as the wind was knocked out of him. She had been about to finish him off with his own sword when she heard a woman scream.

"INUYASHA!"

Hala looked up towards the human woman running towards them, her expression panicked as she rushed towards them. She watched her fall to her knees beside the man as he sputtered into recovery, shaking his head blearily as he sat up.

"Inuyasha..." the woman fretted worriedly, before lifting her gaze to the demoness who stood several feet away, weilding the large sword in her right hand. She looked around herself, looking at the deep grooves in the earth, and it did not take much to figure out what had happened. As Inuyasha finally gathered his wits, she glared at him. "SIT BOY!"

Hala blinked in surprise as the man was planted roughly into the ground with a rough yelp.

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" She rose to her feet with a huff, still glaring at him. Then she turned her attention to the demoness who was watching her with raised brows. "I'm sorry...my husband always attacks first and asks questions later."

She was silent a moment. "I understand, but it was nothing I could not handle."

"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" Inuyasha shouted, rising unsteadily to his feet.

"Of course I almost killed you, you attacked me first...stupid pup."

He stared at her in shock "P-Pup..." He shook his head with an indignant growl. "As a protector of this village, I can't take any chances! There are too many demons who would destroy this village if given the chance!"

Hala's expression softened at his words. "Hesitation is death." She smiled toothily, walking towards the man and holding his sword out to him. "Your intentions are noble, I will give you that. Though. if a pup like you managed to defeat me, I would never be able to face my family."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"


End file.
